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ANC GLENDALE BRINGS CHRISTMAS IN THE SPRING TO OVER 400 CHILDREN
asbarez
Thursday, May 26th, 2011
Randall R. Murphy with Leonard Manoukian
GLENDALE-The Armenian National Committee of Glendale brought Christmas
in the Spring by donating toys to more than 400 children at the
Glendale YWCA - Domestic Violence Center, as well as the Oglala Lakota
College Head Start Program and the Indian Health Center's Children's
Ward at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
"Four years ago ANC Glendale started a great tradition of kicking off
the New Year with a Christmas Celebration that requested guests to
bring donation items, after which community members were encouraged to
participate in our various drives. In years past, our chapter collected
hundreds of books that were donated to GUSD, food items that helped
Salvation Army of Glendale restock after the holiday season and toys
for low income children," stated Elen Asatryan, Executive Director of
ANC Glendale. "Given the devastating realities in which the children
of Pine Ridge Reservation live in, we chose to split our donation
this year between our very own Glendale YWCA and the reservation;
hoping to spread smiles beyond Glendale," added Asatryan.
Elen Asatryan with YWCA's Annette Kosker
The toys for the Pine Ridge Reservation were accepted by Deputy
Attorney General with the California Department of Justice, Randall R.
Murphy who serves as the Director of Ironwood Hilltop Sundance
Committee.
Upon receipt of the donation from the ANC Glendale Murphy stated,
"These toys and stuffed animals are vitally important to the Native
American children on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Without the generosity
of the ANC, the Head Start children would have no new toys to play
with. Neither would the children in the children's ward have the
stuffed animals and other soft toys. It is heartwarming to receive
support from a community, many of whose members are recent immigrants
to this country, who recognize that physical and cultural genocide,
such as that visited upon the Native Americans and the Armenians
themselves, has long lasting effects on a people."
The Pine Ridge Reservation occupies the second poorest county in
the United States where unemployment rate is at 85 percent, teenage
suicide rate is 150 percent higher than the U.S. national average,
and the infant mortality rate is the highest on the continent at about
300 percent higher than the U.S. national average. Head Start and
Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which
provide a full range of services to meet the needs of Lakota children
from 0-5 and their families addressing cognitive, emotional, physical,
nutritional, mental health, and culture development of children and
the development needs of families.
"On behalf of the Glendale YWCA Board of Directors and the women
and children in our care, thank you to the ANC Glendale Chapter
for the generous donation. It is due to collaboration with generous
organizations like yours that we can continue to operate our core
programs, EncorePlus - a free breast and cervical cancer screening
opportunity for low income women, and our Domestic Violence Service
Center -empowering women who are victims of domestic violence to
move forward and start their lives anew. Your support is crucial
to our ability to provide life saving support to these women and
children in need," stated Annette Kosker, Volunteer Coordinator at
the Glendale YWCA.
Since 1926, the YWCA of Glendale has worked on empowering women and
children in our community to achieve independence, self-sufficiency
and a life free from violence. More specifically, the YWCA of Glendale
Domestic Violence Center provides outreach, counseling, education
and training services, legal and administrative assistance as well
as a confidential, emergency shelter at Sunrise Village.
The Armenian National Committee - Glendale Chapter advocates for the
social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city's Armenian
American community and promotes increased civic participation at the
grassroots and public policy levels.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
asbarez
Thursday, May 26th, 2011
Randall R. Murphy with Leonard Manoukian
GLENDALE-The Armenian National Committee of Glendale brought Christmas
in the Spring by donating toys to more than 400 children at the
Glendale YWCA - Domestic Violence Center, as well as the Oglala Lakota
College Head Start Program and the Indian Health Center's Children's
Ward at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
"Four years ago ANC Glendale started a great tradition of kicking off
the New Year with a Christmas Celebration that requested guests to
bring donation items, after which community members were encouraged to
participate in our various drives. In years past, our chapter collected
hundreds of books that were donated to GUSD, food items that helped
Salvation Army of Glendale restock after the holiday season and toys
for low income children," stated Elen Asatryan, Executive Director of
ANC Glendale. "Given the devastating realities in which the children
of Pine Ridge Reservation live in, we chose to split our donation
this year between our very own Glendale YWCA and the reservation;
hoping to spread smiles beyond Glendale," added Asatryan.
Elen Asatryan with YWCA's Annette Kosker
The toys for the Pine Ridge Reservation were accepted by Deputy
Attorney General with the California Department of Justice, Randall R.
Murphy who serves as the Director of Ironwood Hilltop Sundance
Committee.
Upon receipt of the donation from the ANC Glendale Murphy stated,
"These toys and stuffed animals are vitally important to the Native
American children on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Without the generosity
of the ANC, the Head Start children would have no new toys to play
with. Neither would the children in the children's ward have the
stuffed animals and other soft toys. It is heartwarming to receive
support from a community, many of whose members are recent immigrants
to this country, who recognize that physical and cultural genocide,
such as that visited upon the Native Americans and the Armenians
themselves, has long lasting effects on a people."
The Pine Ridge Reservation occupies the second poorest county in
the United States where unemployment rate is at 85 percent, teenage
suicide rate is 150 percent higher than the U.S. national average,
and the infant mortality rate is the highest on the continent at about
300 percent higher than the U.S. national average. Head Start and
Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which
provide a full range of services to meet the needs of Lakota children
from 0-5 and their families addressing cognitive, emotional, physical,
nutritional, mental health, and culture development of children and
the development needs of families.
"On behalf of the Glendale YWCA Board of Directors and the women
and children in our care, thank you to the ANC Glendale Chapter
for the generous donation. It is due to collaboration with generous
organizations like yours that we can continue to operate our core
programs, EncorePlus - a free breast and cervical cancer screening
opportunity for low income women, and our Domestic Violence Service
Center -empowering women who are victims of domestic violence to
move forward and start their lives anew. Your support is crucial
to our ability to provide life saving support to these women and
children in need," stated Annette Kosker, Volunteer Coordinator at
the Glendale YWCA.
Since 1926, the YWCA of Glendale has worked on empowering women and
children in our community to achieve independence, self-sufficiency
and a life free from violence. More specifically, the YWCA of Glendale
Domestic Violence Center provides outreach, counseling, education
and training services, legal and administrative assistance as well
as a confidential, emergency shelter at Sunrise Village.
The Armenian National Committee - Glendale Chapter advocates for the
social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city's Armenian
American community and promotes increased civic participation at the
grassroots and public policy levels.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress